I beg to move amendment No. 385, in

clause 100, page 57, line 5, leave out 'first' and insert 'second'.

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Amendment No. 386, in

clause 100, page 57, line 8, leave out 'second' and insert 'third'.

These amendments are designed to probe why the Government believe that the notice must be returned within the first working day to the individual serving the notice on the licensing authority.

Part 5 of the Bill provides for a system whereby licensable activities can be carried on under the authority of temporary event notices. That system allows individuals to use premises for licensable activities in certain circumstances without obtaining a premises licence or club premises certificate.

The amendments fail to recognise the importance of the tight time scales that we have discussed at length today and could discuss next Tuesday. These are crucial to the operation of the temporary event notice arrangements. The amendments would add one working day to the period under clause 100 that is allowed for a licensing authority to acknowledge receipt of a temporary event notice.

The period in the Bill is not unreasonable. If a temporary event notice is received in duplicate with the morning post on a Tuesday, an acknowledgement must be sent by the end of Wednesday. The licensing authority has only to stamp one of the duplicate copies and send it to the premises user's address. The time scale for that task is not unrealistic. If the temporary event notice is received on a Saturday, it need not be acknowledged until the following Tuesday. Again, that is entirely reasonable. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will accept that explanation and withdraw the amendment.

I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause 100 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

I am prepared to take amendment No. 372 to clause 101 if it is dealt with reasonably swiftly.

If you insist, Mr. Gale.

The hon. Gentleman knows that I am entirely in the hands of the Committee. If the usual channels should choose to move that the Committee do now adjourn, I would allow such a motion.

Further consideration adjourned.—[Mr. Kemp.]

Adjourned accordingly at fifteen minutes past Five o'clock till Tuesday 13 May at five minutes to Nine o'clock.